Social Question

Is Mickey Mouse spectacularly overrated?

I love cartoons always have, sure tastes fluctuate throughout the years. From childhood to the present day i’ve enjoyed many different characters, too many to mention. But Mickey? Never got him at all, I mean Pluto yeah, Goofy maybe. Hell I even had a soft spot for Donald Duck. So yeah in the hall of fame for the elite of the cartoon world, where would you place said rodent?

In his time, MM was one of the world’s most beloved and recognizable cartoon charcter. But with TV, the Internet, anime, special effect movies, comic heros on the screen, etc., it’s not that time anymore. Still, I give him a high three!

Master Splinter would kick his ass. Ahem. I think Mickey is regarded as an iconic figure in cartoons, and rightfully so as I think he was pretty revolutionary at the time. I don’t think he’s overrated per se, but granted he doesn’t seem very fantastic these days, what with the slew of cartoons that came out between then and now and how much it all changed.

Of course stuff like Mickey Mouse, back when it made its start I suppose, was fueled by the idea of wonder and magic…maybe if I was 20 years younger my answer would be totally different.

Probably would not be very many cartoon characters if MM had not arrived on the scene. Sort of like the Beatles. Without them, guitar- bass-drum bands might have always stayed in the garage. No way to over rate Mickey Mouse.

Well, yes and no. It’s all a matter of opinion, like anything else. He’s sort of like the The Beatles of the cartoon world. He set many standards and paved many roads, and while certainly great, may not be the first or “the best ever.” The biggest reason these icons are thought to be so spectacular is that they are beloved. Many people, myself included, are sentimental enough to appreciate originals a little more. There’s something pure about the oldies. Even if that purity is racist and low-budget. :/

Just as Lucille Ball or Ernie Kovaks or Milton Berle couldn’t helm a hit television show today, Mickey is out of date and style, but these giants of their industries were incredibly huge when the mediums were new. You cannot compare them to what we see today. You can only remember that they are largely responsible for the sucess of their mediums.

If anything Mickey Mouse represents all that is evil with modern day copyright issues. He should have been in public domain by now, but thanks to Disney’s lobbying the copyright time period was once again extended. That said, I absolutely love South Park’s portrayal of the evil Mickey Mouse in their recent seasons!

In America that seems to be the case and at the same time Asterix and Obelix are totally underrated ;-)

Many years ago we actually met a mother who didn’t want her kids to enjoy the French comic book because of the drinking in it. She had no problem with guns and killings being part of comic books though.